What are you doing in your group? Herding sheep or leading a pack of wolves?
What’s the difference?
Wolves are very aggressive—they’re intense, high energy and always on the prowl for their next meal. In business, that translates into desire and passion. And, it increases the ability of your group to execute, achieve excellence and stand out in the market. The possibilities are endless.
Sheep roam aimlessly and graze on whatever grass they can get. As soon as you get some of them moving in the right direction, others wander and get off track. It can try your patience to get all of the sheep moving in the right direction.
What’s the point?
Engaged members—actively participating with passion and desire—are like wolves: they’re hungry and willing to take on any challenge, and they’ll work as a pack to achieve the vision of your company.
Sheep, on the other hand, aren’t necessarily engaged: they’re led to a field and will eat the grass (without a care in the world). Not wanting or desiring anything more. They’re not paying close attention, yet they question the direction of the group and make it difficult to get anything accomplished.
If you don’t want to settle for uneven scraps of grass and you have a greater vision, then you need to be leading wolves. To have wolves to lead, you need to have an engaged group. To get an engaged group, you need to have a plan.
Some of you may think you don’t want to lead wolves. That it would be easier to herd sheep because they’re docile and, for the most part, will do what they’re told. Remember, I didn’t ask what would be easier. I asked what would be better.
It comes down to this: to move beyond what you have today… to change… to get better you need to have engaged members. And, wolves will be engaged in the business with a pack leader who has the right tools.
What’s your company’s engagement plan? How do you plan to ignite the passion in your members and get them active in your business?
When I first read this I wasn’t sure about the metaphor, but the more I thought about it I realized it made sense. The business world isn’t kind to those who “mindlessly graze”. In fact, their life expectancy is pretty low. In this economy, I like the idea of aggressive wolves.
Of course, the challenge is, how do I get my members to be like a wolf in their community? There is a lot of ‘wait and see’ in our member community, or i guess you could call it complacency.
The real shame is that many companies want wolves, but also want there members to act like sheep. Unfortunately you can’t have it both ways. If you want wolves, then you need to expect them to challenge you on occasion. In fact a progressive company will encourage it. The smart company provides a positive outlet for it’s members to express their views, and disagreements. When that happens, engagement comes more easily.
James – You’re right and today it’s even more important to lead a group of ‘hungry’ members in order to take the organization to a higher, more profitable level. I’m glad the idea grew on you and yes, that is the challenge. I have some great advice on how you can get your members to be more like wolves. I’ll be unpacking those in various upcoming posts.
Tim – That’s a great point. The the leaders of wolves need to be intensely strong, committed to the overall organizational vision, and also willing to be challenged while listening with an honest ear. That’s a tough order, but it’s what it takes to lead a thriving group organization.
You mentioned having a positive outlet for members and you are absolutely right! That’s imperative.